Cool relief for Minh-Tan

Heat can be exhausting for humans. But what is it like for elephants? We visited our adopted elephant, Minh-Tan, in Osnabrück Zoo to find out.

Since elephants come from warm Africa and India you might think that high temperatures don´t affect them. You might also think that their thick skins protect them against the sun and keep them from sweating. Maybe you also think the elephants can cool each other down using their huge ears as fans. 😉

“But, this is all wrong,” says Andreas Wulftangen, a scientific curator at Osnabrück Zoo who is responsible for the elephant enclosure. This is home to our adopted elephant, Minh-Tan. Just like humans, elephants need to cool down when it’s too hot. That’s why Minh-Tan and his family are happy about the icy surprise we brought today. The huge ice blocks filled with frozen apples, kiwis and other fruit are yummy for a grey giant´s tummy.

Building up a sweat to stay cool

As soon as the huge ice lollies are placed in the elephant enclosure, the great, grey giants start sweating. At the speed of light they race to the sweet blocks of ice and step on them to crush them into bite-size pieces. What a welcome refreshment! “Of course, ice treats aren´t available every day, and we don’t want to spoil them too much,” says Wulftange. Nevertheless, he and his colleagues cool off the elephants on hot days. Minh-Tan and the other elephants are either sprayed with the water hose or they jump into the “pool” – a large XXL water basin.

A mud bath after a sweet treat

The mud bath is especially popular with elephants. They like to roll and play in it. Afterwards they look like overgrown piglets, but at least they feel nice and cool.